Impact of quantization and roundoff errors on the performance of a noise radar correlator

This paper evaluates the influence of quantization effects on the performance of correlators. The problem is decomposed into two smaller ones, each dealing with difference source of errors (quantization of input signals and finite-precision arithmetics) separately. A discussion of the first type of errors is held on a general level and applicable to any type of correlator. However, roundoff effects depend strongly on details of computations. Therefore, a case study is performed using a fixed-point FFT-based correlator, implemented using LogiCORE IP FFT v. 7.0 engine.